Making Memories in Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee

Wednesday May 22, 2019 – Thursday May 23, 2019

Written January 21, 2025

Traveling from Little Rock, Arkansas – Approx: a 2-hour drive. Part of a longer trip that started in Dallas, TX, then Houston, TX, then Little Rock, Arkansas, then Memphis Tennessee, then Jackson, Mississippi, then Birmingham, Alabama, then Atlanta, Georgia (only spent 10 hours there. some of which was trying to get a new flight arranged.)

When I saw on the map how close Little Rock was to Memphis, I just knew I needed to squeeze in a visit to Memphis into this road trip. I wouldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t make this work. Considering the short stay, our experience was extraordinarily memorable. My partner surprised me even further by planning dinner at a barbecue restaurant close to the hotel and purchasing tickets to Graceland the next day.

Approaching Memphis, Tennessee from Arkansas on I-40

As we approached Memphis, the sun was setting. This made for beautiful photos from the road. Our one-night stay was reserved at The Peabody Hotel celebrating their 150th anniversary that year and offered rooms for $150. I was lucky enough to reserve a room for that price. Aside from being listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it also boasts a unique event twice a day, once at 11:00AM and again at 5:00PM. Having arrived too late for the 5:00PM event, we knew we had to make the effort to get to the 11:00AM one the next day.

Walking into The Peabody was like stepping back into a time where there were shoeshine stations and newsies (I didn’t see these, but they wouldn’t be out of place if I did). The Grand Lobby was bustling, with people, boutiques, restaurants, several tables and chairs, a bar, and lots of couches to spend a leisurely afternoon visiting with friends and family or just taking in the atmosphere alone. A large water fountain was near the center of the lobby. A few statues were in surprising places. The ceilings were high, and open to some of the second floor. There was a lot of ornate trimming on the walls and ceiling. The second floor has a view of looking down on the main room, it also has a grand piano that you could look at but not touch. The check-in counter is on the edge of the Grand Lobby so you can view all of this as you wait your turn at check-in.

The Peabody has a “duck” theme, and they make it fun. There were ducks on the pillows in the room, paintings of ducks hung on the walls, and even ducks on the bathrobes. They even have ducks living on the premises, usually 5 of them, called “checkers”, that swim in the Grand Lobby fountain every afternoon between 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM.  If you are in the lobby or on the second floor overlooking the lobby at either of those times, you can see the ducks marching either to the fountain (11:00 AM) from the elevator or from the fountain (5:00 PM) to the elevator. They even have a red carpet for the march and a Duckmaster who guides them on their walks.

Photo 1: One side of the lobby of the Peabody Hotel

Photo 2: a view of the room showing the duck decor of The Peabody hotel

Photos 3: Bed pillowcases with duck decor at The Peabody hotel

It wasn’t exactly late when we were settled into our room, but it could be considered late for dinner. It was after 8:00 PM by the time we were ready to head back out. The restaurant, Charlie Vergo’s Rendezvous, was nearby, we needed to cross the street and walk about 2 blocks. Along our walk there were signs for the restaurant and folded up rope chains that you’d normally see at places that often have long lines, like a movie theatre or amusement park ride. Seeing those gave us an inkling of just how busy Rendezvous generally gets.

We saw very few people during our 2-block walk, that was a bit off putting. Considering the large hotel nearby and the reputation of the restaurant, I thought there would be more. Then, we turned to walk down an alley to the restaurant entrance and there were only a group of three people visibly walking towards us from approximately half a block away. They were leaving the restaurant; we could see the sign over the door.

Once inside, you could see that most of the tables were filled, the atmosphere was lively. We were seated near the entrance and kitchen. It did look like it could be a decent-sized place with a few different dining rooms. Our waiter was lovely, he overheard us discussing that we kind of wanted to try everything, so he provided recommendations so that we could taste a little bit of a variety of their offerings to get the best experience. We were able to try pork ribs & shoulder, brisket, with sides of beans, coleslaw and potato salad.

Photo 1: sign inside Charlie Vergos Rendezvous

Photo 2: some of the tables and decor inside the restaurant

Photo 3: another view inside the restaurant

The restaurant closed at 10:00PM but we were on our way back to the hotel by 9:20PM. Along the way I took a couple of photos outside, and then we spent another 15 minutes or so walking around the Grand Lobby of the hotel taking more photos and taking a closer look at the restaurants and boutiques. There was a store that sold t-shirts, we could see them in the window. We had a head start for our souvenir shopping!

The check-out time at The Peabody was 11:00AM and so was the Duck March. This meant no dillydallying in the morning, we’d need to check out of our room earlier so that we could see the event. I also wanted to look for souvenirs from the shop in the lobby. We decided to simplify things and delay breakfast so that we can tick those three “to-do” things off our list. By the time we arrived in the Grand Lobby it was a little past 10:30AM, and the seating area was already crowded. We checked out and rolled our suitcases (hooray for wheels!) along with us to find a good view of the duck walk. We opted to go upstairs, it was less crowded, and although the view might be a little further than preferred, it was a clear view.

Photo 1: 5 ducks (checkers) parading towards the fountain.

Photo 2: all 5 ducks at the fountain (one is at the bottom of the photo)

Photo 3: dog sculptures in the hotel lobby

After watching the ducks walk down their red carpet into the fountain, we waited for the crowd to disperse, then made our way downstairs to the souvenir shop. Unfortunately, there was a sign that said we couldn’t bring our luggage in, so we each needed to go inside alone, while the other waited with the luggage. It took us a few trips in and out to converse and make decisions about which shirts, magnets and keychains to purchase. Happy with our purchases and now famished, we went on our way to a diner called, Gladys’ Diner.

I knew Gladys’ Diner was near Graceland, I did not know that it was part of Graceland property. That made the rest of our time in Memphis go a bit smoother. Upon arrival at the diner, it became apparent that it wasn’t the typical diner where you were seated and waited on. It was cafeteria style. It was on the pricey side too. We both got hamburgers, soda, and we split a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich. While the food was average, the atmosphere was colorful and fun. It was retro themed, 1950/1960’s decorated with white walls and pink and blue accents. Mini viewers were on the walls that screened black and white commercials. Jukebox on full display, playing 50s music (mostly Elvis of course!). Also, a full Cadillac, with a booth inside, was placed in the center of the dining area. It was occupied both times we walked by, but I snapped a quick photo anyway!

Photo 1: the images on the wall are the tiny tv screens I mentioned.

Photo 2: a view of the inside of Gladys' Diner

Photo 3: table inside a cadillac at Glady's Diner

The Graceland tour was the first time I was on a somewhat self-guided tour. We were delivered to the mansion by bus (the mansion is across the street from the parking lot, Gladys’ Diner, and other specialty Elvis’s museums). When we disembarked, we were given headsets and lead to the front door of the mansion. From there we were free to roam through the rooms. I took tons of photos and shared them real-time with a group of co-workers in the office. Visitors were bottlenecked in certain areas, so I moved through some of the emptier rooms first, then tried to go back to see what I missed. As I got further along the tour, and towards the out buildings on the premises, there were less and less people. I met up with my partner about a third of the way through and we walked the rest of the tour together. We probably went through the mansion tour quicker than most, like 90 minutes. We went back across the street on the next bus, and walked through a few of the other museum areas, Elvis’ cars, costumes, etc.

Truthfully, I was a bit Elvis’d out as we approached our third hour walking through each area, but museums tend to overwhelm me. For the cost of the tickets, I’d recommend planning to stay the day and take your time walking through all museums. I, myself, am a little young to fully appreciate Elvis, but he is an icon to me. I do remember where I was and who I was with when I heard he died. If you love Elvis, spending time at Graceland is a must! There is really so much to see! For an additional fee (or separate tour) you could go see his airplanes. We didn’t splurge to add that on. (After a current review of the website, the ticket options seem to have changed since our visit). We wrapped things up by stopping at the gift shop to look around.

Photo 1: one of the lawns at Graceland

Photo 2: basement television room inside the Graceland estate

Photo 3: pink Cadillac in the Elvis' car museum near Gladys' Diner

As I looked around trying to find something inexpensive to buy my officemates, I was disappointed to see that the postcards were printed in a different state. Like, didn’t even have a Graceland or Elvis company logo on them. In my vision, I saw myself leaving a photo postcard of Elvis with the Graceland logo on each person’s desk. Not everyone from our area is going to make a trip to Memphis or to see Graceland, they could use it like a pin up on their cubicle (or not). Deflated, I didn’t buy the postcards, and didn’t see anything else that measured up to what I envisioned about the postcards.

Since it was now rounding 5:00 PM and we were driving to Jackson, Mississippi next, we hopped in the car and headed on our way.

Things I learned from planning this trip: Squeezing in another stop can really make for a wonderful memory.

Things I keep in mind when organizing a trip for myself: Go back for more! A tour of The Peabody. A walk or drive down Beale Street. Maybe a weekend or more to visit the different areas of Memphis and see other historical places.

*apologies if this page is photo intense, I had so many to choose from!

Some information, such as baseball game information and directions were sought by using ChatGPT and/or Perplexity.

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